Ficus pumila is used extensively for green landscaping in Singapore here growing both as a small hedge at the bottom of the photo but also epiphytically around the trunk of these Royal Palms. On this occasion the fig is sharing space at the top of the Royal Palm with an Asplenium nidus tree fern. Ficus pumila has been planted as a green cover for many pedestrian road bridges in Singapore.
The native habitat of Ficus pumila is trees and rocky cliff faces in South China including Hong Kong, where it is common both in the wild and in cultivation. Ficus pumila is NOT native to Singapore. The pollinating fig wasps do not appear to be present in Singapore and therefore the ripe figs do not produce fertile seeds.
Dried Ficus pumila figs are widely used in traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for a variety of purposes including the control of blood pressure. The dried seeds are surrounded by a thin layer of pectin which can be separated by washing. The result is a clear brownish jelly known in Taiwan and Singapore as Aiyu or ice jelly a popular snack in hot weather. Note that Chinese “grass jelly” is made from sea weed not Ficus pumila.
Ficus pumila does not produce seeds in Singapore and the dried figs to make Ai Yu jelly are imported from China.
